Friday, December 01, 2006

Blogging - Sixth Month in

It takes tremendous effort both to model and reflect upon practices for learning and teaching, but perhaps there is a knock on effect from using technology for both purposes: Keep trying!

Since I'm exploring learning and teaching with technology, I'm bound to try things that don't work - at least not right away - either for me or the folks I'm trying things with. Yet there are times when the technology fails to work, which isn't always obvious; as it should, which isn't always transparent; or when we fail to use it as effectively as we could, which may hardly ever be evident to novices without near-peer role models.

Among the techno-trials I've undertaken are blogging and wiki building, inspired by apparent success of colleagues. Earlier on, I decided my purpose in these endeavors was to find out how blogs and wikis might complement or extend upon conversations on a mailing list launched for purposes of continuing education.

As I struggle through uptake of tools and techniques (blogs, feeds, interfaces...), I find my time if not my attention deflected from purpose-full interaction with fellow learners and educators, into technical and problem-solving activities. That the edu-techno-learning curve would be so steep perhaps will come as no surprise to those reviewing the curve, once they're over the hump.

As far as modelling goes, my blogging pace leaves plenty of room for improvement, at least on this blog in isolation. Though I've commented, drafted, edited, and tagged potpourri entries recently, it has been over a month since my last published blog entry about switching to blogger beta.

In retrospect, I'd like to think that I've suitably distributed my time and energy amongst a project-related mailing list, two blogs, and three wikis (one directly project-related, the other two course-related) these past few months. It just may take years to whip up just the right blend.